Johns River

 Part of the Johns River Village Plan

The Purfleet-Taree Local Aboriginal Lands Council owns the forested reserve known as Koolyangarra between Washtub Creek and Station Street in Johns River.

See Also the Boardwalk Construction and the Official Opening

Below:    The Koolyangarra Reserve on a foggy morning

The road along the reserve, formally the Pacific Highway prior to the opening of the Johns River bypass in March 2010 was renamed Koolyangarra Way.    The new road extends south from the creek to another Lands Council property next to the on-ramp for the new highway. 

There is also a significant portion of Council land immediately adjacent to the reserve, and also across Koolyangarra Way extending south from Johns River Road.

Shared stewardship for the reserve was begun in 1985, with a smoking ceremony and Aboriginal dancers performing for the community and schoolchildren.   A formal memorandum of understanding was put in place in 2010 just prior to the formal opening of the Johns River 150^th Jubilee celebrations in September. 

Below:   After the first major rehabilitation of the reserve, an opening ceremony by Aboriginal Youth and local schoolkids. 

The reserve was maintained sporadically by both community members and the school.   With a narrow pathway leading diagonally through the property, it was used by dog-walkers and young bike-riders, who often made earthen ramps for fun in the reserve.   The pathway through the reserve was often more passable than the outer pathway along the road, which actually formed into a small creek during heavy rain events. 

The Planning Began

Once the Johns River Community Progress Association was re-started in 2007 after a 24 year hiatus, members old and new started to assess the existing infrastructure, public areas and surveyed community expectations, culminating in the February 2008 forum, where the Village Wish List was formulated.

In January of 2008, the Catchment Management Authority came on-site to review the scouring issues downstream from the RTA highway bridge, recommending a 30m rock chute and rock riprap, with a 1.5m direct rock revetment, estimated to cost around $61K.    Funding has not been secured as yet; the JRCPA hopes the RTA will remedy the situation as part of handover negotiations with Council.

The Wish List and the Village Plan

The newly agreed Village Wish List featured landscaping and beautification as a Key Focus Area, and these sentiments were incorporated into the first draft of the Johns River Village Plan.    The Koolyangarra Reserve Project was borne of the village plan's elements including boardwalks, pathways and linking the school area to the rest of the village. 

 The plan was widely distributed in the Johns River Journal, at the store, and full displays at the hall and Council offices, to ensure the community had plenty of time to comment.    After the community consultation period, changes were made and the final version was adopted by Council on 15 April, 2009 (see article below).

The Community Pitches In!

With the community solid in their opinion that something needed to be done to beautify the village, two dozen villagers pitched in to do a good prune, rake, brush-cut and clean-out of the Koolyangarra Reserve. 

Below:    Villagers take over the reserve in a big clean-out day

(More photos online at www.johnsriver.com.au and on display at the Morning Tea reception after the boardwalk opening on Saturday)

Detailed Planning and Major Works Begin

Detailed planning work for drainage was performed by the JRCPA Management Committee, to ensure that the foundations of the reserve were solid into the future.   The road building Alliance of the RTA and Thiess kindly donated 500 metres of ag-pipe, which was laid down before the Alliance delivered over 70 cubic metres of seasoned roadbase, which our sister village of Moorland unknowingly donated from their old roadway at Pipeclay creek. 

Below:   Drainage was a key priority before any other works began, with agpipe lines, drain pipe, and aggregate in trenches planned out before the pathways and seating areas went in. 

Boral Quarry at Johns River kindly donated the aggregate needed to lay down into the agpipe trenches, and an additional supply of over 15 cubic metres    of excellent 75mm – 150mm blue rock to populate the downstream aprons leading into the creek (see plan above).

Below:    The excellent rock donated by our local Johns River Boral Quarry

The Greater Taree City Council was able to assist the JRCPA in the Koolyangarra Project, by using the remainder of some grant money held in trust to pay for a crew to move the mountain of road base and to form the new pathways through the reserve. 

Below:   The future pathways being graded, ready for the ag-pipe to go down.

Today, the pathways have a natural, packed appearance, and it is hard to tell the amount of grading, drainage and sculpting work which went into the now-unassuming pathways. 

Below:    Roadbase from Moorland being deposited to harden and shape the Koolyangarra pathways.

Below:    Today's reserve pathways look natural, despite the amount of underlying work which went into their creation.

Eminent local palaeobotanist Dr. Mary White toured the reserve with JRCPA's Deena Lane and National Parks experts to identify the various species throughout the reserve in early 2010. 

The Boardwalk Begins

For a very long time, villagers had complained about the pathway leading from Station Street down to the pedestrian bridge, which became its own rather muddy watercourse whenever a heavy rain event came our way.

Below:    The previous narrow pathway, complete with snakes in the grass from time to time!

After a full survey of the area courtesy the Greater Taree City Council as part of the Johns River Implementation Group headed by Oliver Muenger and Graham Shultz in conjunction with villagers and JRCPA representatives, plans were produced for the first segments of boardwalks from Station Street to Thomas Street.

The Federal grant for the boardwalk segment was written by Rob Baker at Council, and the project was managed by Senior Strategic Planner Lisa Proctor.   Tenders were put out, and the contract was awarded to Matt Worth of Worth Construction, the only tenderer to offer his services within budget and able to finish construction within the time-frame. 

Below:    Matt Worth begins the long boardwalk on-site, with the trusses assembled previously off-site.

Below:    Matt's crew made short work despite heavy rain days to complete the project.

As soon as the actual boardwalk construction was finished, Stan and his team go in there to immediately abate the problems of the open soil and subsequent erosion issues, by laying out sed fencing, gravel and ensuring that run-off through the project was managed as well as could be. 

Below:    Chris Bawn surveys the initial works to abate erosion at the boardwalk.

Below:    Invaluable worker Eddie Davies doing some of the hard yakka moving dirt in the initial stages of the landscaping effort.

The major issue was addressing drainage, and covering the open soil with mulch and to control immediate run-off on the site. 

Below:    The wash of water runs across Station Street due to blocked council table drains south of the intersection, meaning additional load for the boardwalk area.

Much of the erosion issues were due to improper works done previously, whereby water was channelled directly down towards the boardwalk area and previous pathway.    This was rectified by reshaping the land maintain runoff in the road reserve drain along Station Street, and by adjusting the overall slope and fall of the land on the corner to minimise the catchment going towards the boardwalk area. 

Below:    Grant Burley to the rescue with his bobcat and excavator

Below:    Stan Davies and Grant Burley discuss where to put the rock whilst Eddie does weed control

Below:    Plans for future boardwalks in the village, awaiting funding by Council and through JRCPA grant-writing.    Shown are north of the pedestrian bridge and at Rosie's.

Below:    The initial planting areas for the current Koolyangarra landscaping project

The JRCPA's Landscaping Chair Stan Davies met with key stakeholders on-site to formulate a list of agreed species to be planted in the area immediately surrounding the boardwalk.  Once the list had been vetted by Council and the community, including Landcare and other groups, the species list was published in the Johns River Journal and on display at Rosie's. 

The progress association funded the Landscaping Committee to carry out its works, and the draft landscaping plan was presented to Greater Taree City Council via the Johns River Implementation Group.    The plan was approved and work proceeded with the purchase of many plant species, with tube stock kindly donated from Council.

Boral Quarry donated the rock and gravel products required for the landscaping area, delivering many loads.   GTCC staff and management were on-hand and key stages provide advice during the process with on-site supervisory visits from engineering, roads, and environmental staff. 

Below:    Boral Quarry kindly donating some super rock needed to control erosion and for landscaping borders.

Below:    Helper Harley Sammon with Stan Davies, getting mulch donated by the Johns River Public School Principal Sheree Quinliven.

Below:    Johns River resident Grant Burley donates his precious time to help move the rock at the reserve.

Key Areas to Note

In addition to the boardwalk structure itself, the concrete chute and rock gabions were constructed by the landscaping crew with a special downstream apron to abate scouring and to slow the water before reaching the natural bog, colonised with Watsonia (an orange flowering bog plant with rhizomes), and cunjevoi. 

Terracing with sleepers along that bank is designed to further slow run-off, and all planted areas have been heavily mulched to retain moisture and reduce weed species. 

Geotech fabric is being used in drainage areas to avoid incursion of mud and silt, along with bituminous water-soluble spray emulsions.

The interior of the reserve has been sculpted with a children's seating area for story-time, used first during the 150^th Jubilee celebrations with Auntie Barbara giving a Welcome-to-Country for the assembled guests and the community.

Right:    GTCC Councillor Mave Richardson speaks on the rededication of the Koolyangarra Reserve during the 150^th Jubilee celebrations.

Below:    The opening of the Jubilee at the reserve

Finishing Touches

After consultation with Council environmental staff, the JRCPA has secured the appropriate mesh, fibrous mulch and emulsion to bring the main drainage watercourse up to best-practice standards.

Council is currently finishing plans to enhance their volunteer training program with further training for local volunteers continuing in the near future. 

Grant-writing assistance has been sought by the JRCPA from Council so that the subsequent segments of the boardwalk may be completed in the near future.

The next areas of focus for the village landscaping will be at 48 and 50 Johns River Road (corner of Thomas Street), and efforts will be made in conjunction with the RTA and Council to improve the village entry areas at the northern exit ramp, and at the Johns River roundabout connecting with Stewarts River Road and Bulley's road.

Future Expansion of the Reserve

The overall Koolyangarra Reserve area will extend in the future to encompass other key areas of the Village Plan, going south from Johns River Road to about Johns Street, and on both sides of Koolyangarra Way.   Further consultation with Council, the Lands Office, and Community will be required, possibly to result in a reserve trust with plan of management for the larger consolidated area. 

Below:   The eco-centre as shown in the Village Plan.   Funding has been sought already to build the structure with seats for transportation patrons, display panels, and toilets.

Below:   Overlay showing the eventual proposed shape of the Koolyangarra Reserve area, to include the eco-centre and proposed village transport/tourism station.

Summary

Whilst there is still a good deal of work to do, much of the foundation has been laid to make the Koolyangarra Reserve a successful and accessible asset for the entire community, schoolchildren and villagers alike!

Please contact David Shepard on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it   for more information on the project and other village matters.